Fake and duplicate profiles
Many profiles created by one operator to look like unrelated people. A visitor ID stored with each account links them.
Real profiles. Fewer fake ones.
Trust is the product in a social or dating app, and fake profiles, bots and returning bad actors erode it. Fingerly gives trust and safety teams a visitor ID for every signup and login, so accounts that share a device are linked before they reach other members.
- A visitor IDAcross signups and logins.
- Bots and spamReported without a captcha.
- Ban evasionRecognise a returning device.
- iOS and AndroidNative SDKs and bridges.
[ 01 / 06 ]Abuse patterns
How abuse reaches social and dating apps.
Community platforms are attacked by people who want an audience and by people who want to avoid being recognised. Fingerly helps with the second kind.
Bots and spam accounts
Scripts that register accounts to post links, message members or inflate follower counts. Automation and hosting networks are reported at signup.
Ban evasion
A removed member returns with a new name and a new email. A returning device is recognised even when the profile is entirely different.
Scam and romance-scam accounts
Throwaway profiles that approach members to move them off the platform. Fingerly does not read messages; it links the accounts that share a device so your team can act on a report faster.
Account takeover
Hijacked accounts used to message the member’s contacts. A login from a device the account has never used is worth a second check.
Invite and referral farming
Invite rewards claimed by accounts the inviter controls. A shared device between inviter and invitees is a clear lead.
[ 02 / 06 ]Pattern to decision
From pattern to decision.
Fingerly describes the device and the network, never a member’s content or profile. Moderation decisions stay with your trust and safety team.
01
Fake and linked profiles
Connect the new profile to the old ones.
Identify at signup and store the visitor ID with the profile. Several new profiles on one device, especially with anti-detect or farm signals, are worth holding for review before they can message anyone.
- Check at
- SignupFirst message
- Reads
- Visitor IDNew or returningAnti-detect browser
02
Ban evasion
Same device, new profile.
Keep the visitor IDs of removed members in your own records and check new signups against them. A match with high confidence is a strong lead for moderators; a shared device calls for a human look before any action.
- Check at
- SignupLogin
- Reads
- Visitor IDVisitor confidenceIncognito mode
03
Spam and scripted signups
Spot the script, welcome the member.
Bulk signup tools run on driven browsers and hosting networks. Read automation, virtual machine and hosting network signals together and slow or hold the account before it can post.
- Check at
- SignupPosting links
- Reads
- AutomationVirtual machineHigh activity
04
Hijacked accounts
Familiar devices pass, unfamiliar ones are asked.
Recognise the devices a member normally uses and add a step when a login comes from a new one that also carries automation or an anonymised network.
- Check at
- LoginPassword reset
- Reads
- Visitor IDTor exit nodeAutomation
[ 03 / 06 ]Integration
Integrate at the right moments.
Four habits keep a policy for social and dating apps effective without turning it against genuine customers. A production identification is billed per request, from $0.0025, so it is worth placing where it earns its cost.
- 01 Identify at the moment
Call identify at signup, login, password reset and on first contact with other members, not on every swipe or scroll. Pass your own account reference as the tag so the result comes back with the account it describes.
await fingerly.identify({ tag: "signup" }) - 02 Verify on your server
Send only the request ID from the app or browser to your backend, read the stored result with a secret key, and check that its tag matches the action. Keep the visitor ID in your own records beside the account.
- 03 Observe before you enforce
Run in monitoring mode first. Families, friends and shared phones are normal in a social app, so measure who a rule would affect before enforcing it.
- 04 Act in proportion
Prefer reviewing and limiting over banning on one signal. Document why an action was taken and offer an appeal, so a genuine member who was caught by mistake can be restored.
[ 04 / 06 ]Moments
Where to check, what to do.
Where a social or dating app usually places the check and what it reads there.
| Moment | Identify when | Read | Usual first decision |
|---|---|---|---|
| Signup | The profile is created | Visitor ID, new or returning, automation | Hold new linked profiles for review |
| First message | Before it is sent | High activity, visitor ID | Rate limit new accounts |
| Login | Credentials are submitted | Visitor ID, network signals | Step up for new devices with other signals |
| Reactivation | A removed member is matched | Visitor ID, confidence | Send to moderators |
| Invite reward | Before it is paid | Visitor ID, device farm | Withhold when inviter and invitee share a device |
Every decision is yours. Fingerly returns the visitor ID, the signals and the suspect score, and never blocks a request by itself.
[ 05 / 06 ]Questions
Questions about social and dating apps.
How a social or dating app uses device fingerprinting, and what it never touches.
Talk to the teamHow do dating apps detect fake profiles and bots?
With Fingerly, a dating app stores the visitor ID with each new profile and looks for the same device behind several of them. Automation, virtual machine and hosting network signals show scripted signups, and device farm signals point to bulk operations. Moderators decide what to do.
Can Fingerly stop banned users from coming back?
It helps. A returning device is recognised even when the email, name and cookies are new, and the response carries a confidence. Browsers that randomise what they report are recognised less often, so no tool stops every return, and a shared device should be reviewed by a person.
Does Fingerly read messages, photos or profiles?
No. Fingerly describes the device and the network behind a request. It does not read page content, form fields, messages, photos, contacts or location services, and it cannot tell whether a profile photo is genuine.
Will it work without asking members for permission?
Fingerly shows no permission prompt, picker or dialog on any platform. You decide the notice, the legal basis and any consent your members need, and the SDKs collect nothing until you tell them consent is granted.
Does it work in iOS and Android dating apps?
Yes. Native iOS and Android SDKs, with React Native, Flutter and Lynx bridges, send the same identify request as the web SDK. In an app the device is a random install ID the SDK keeps for the app, never its hardware.
Less guessing. More knowing.
Make the next connection a trusted one.
Start with the signals, keep your own decisions, and pay as you go, only for what you identify. No credit card needed.